Gender Related Mechanisms Put in Place for the Treatment of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Patients in Mathari National Teaching and Referral Hospital, Kenya

Abstract

Drug addiction affects every demographic, but individual experiences of treatment vary considerably by gender, making it essential to understand the gender dynamics encountered by patients receiving alcohol and drug addiction treatment services. This study focused on Mathari National Teaching and Referral Hospital, the largest government rehabilitation facility in Kenya, which has a mission to treat, educate, and conduct research on alcohol and drug addiction. The specific objective of the study was to examine the gender-related mechanisms put in place for the treatment of alcohol and drug addiction patients at the hospital, with particular attention to gender bias during admission, enrolment criteria and admission duration, and gender-based separation during enrolment. The Feminist Theory on Equality and Reason, advanced by Mary Wollstonecraft, served as the foundation of the study, providing an analytical lens for examining how institutional mechanisms, though formally gender-neutral, can produce systematically inequitable experiences for male and female patients. A mixed-methods research design was employed to gather both quantitative and qualitative data. The study drew on a sample of 255 respondents, with 232 patients completing the questionnaire, alongside 10 key informant interviews with hospital staff, selected through stratified systematic random sampling. A questionnaire and an interview guide were used for data collection. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics with the aid of SPSS version 23, while qualitative data were analyzed thematically, with verbatim quotes used to enrich the results. The findings revealed that although gender-related mechanisms existed at the hospital, they were unevenly implemented. Women were more than twice as likely to experience gender bias during admission, faced longer admission waiting times, and had reduced access to gender-segregated treatment spaces, and these upstream disparities translated into weaker treatment outcomes including lower comfort with treatment and poorer social reintegration. The study concluded that gender-related mechanisms existed more in principle than in practice and that meaningful equity required deliberate restructuring of admission protocols, resource allocation, and institutional accountability. Recommendations included standardizing admission protocols, expanding female-specific treatment spaces, introducing binding gender-responsive accreditation standards through the Ministry of Health and NACADA, and strengthening post-discharge aftercare to close the social reintegration gap experienced by female patients. Keywords:  Gender Related Mechanisms, Treatment, Alcohol and Drug Addiction, Patients, Mathari National Teaching and Referral Hospital, Kenya